DecksThe 100 Most Common French Words, with Pronunciation
These are the 100 most frequently used French words, in frequency order. They are the first 100 cards of the French Frequency 500 deck, where each card gives the word's IPA pronunciation, its part of speech and its English meaning, with Parisian audio in the app.
Like most frequency lists, the top is made of small words: articles (le, la, un), prepositions (de, à, en), pronouns (je, il, on) and the verbs être and avoir. Those words appear in nearly every French sentence, which is why they come first.
| # | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | de | de /də/ [d̪ə] prep. of, to, from |
| 2 | je | je /ʒə/ [ʒə] pro. I |
| 3 | pas | pas /pɑ/ [pä, pɑ] adv. not |
| 4 | le | le /lə/ [lə] art. the pro. it |
| 5 | que | que /kə/ [kə] conj. than; that pro. what |
| 6 | la | la /la/ [lä] art. the |
| 7 | tu | tu /ty/ [tˢy] pro. you |
| 8 | vous | vous /vu/ [vu̝̠͗] pro. you (singular, formal); you (plural, formal or informal) |
| 9 | un | un /œ̃/ [œ̃] art. a, an num. pro. one |
| 10 | et | et /e/ [e̝] conj. and |
| 11 | à | à /a/ [ä] prep. to, in, at |
| 12 | il | il /il/ [i̝̟ˑl] pro. it, he |
| 13 | ne | ne /nə/ [n̪ə] part. not |
| 14 | les | les /le/ [ˈle̝] art. the (plural) pro. them |
| 15 | en | en /ɑ̃/ [ɒ̃] prep. in, into, to |
| 16 | on | on /ɔ̃/ [õ̝̠͗] pro. we; you, they, someone |
| 17 | ça | ça /sa/ [s̪ä] pro. it, this, that |
| 18 | ce | ce /sə/ [s̪ə] pro. det. this, that |
| 19 | pour | pour /pur/ [ˈpu̝̠͗ːʁ] prep. for, to |
| 20 | qui | qui /ki/ [kʲi̝̟] pro. conj. which, that, who; |
| 21 | mais | mais /mɛ/ [mɛ̞] conj. but |
| 22 | dans | dans /dɑ̃/ [d̪ɒ̃] prep. in, into, within |
| 23 | nous | nous /nu/ [n̪u̝̠͗] pro. we, us |
| 24 | elle | elle /ɛl/ [ɛ̞ˑl] pro. it, she, her |
| 25 | bien | bien /bjɛ̃/ [bjɐ̃] adv. well, good |
| 26 | me | me /mə/ [mə] pro. me, myself |
| 27 | si | si /si/ [s̪i̝̟] conj. if, whether adv. so, such (intensifier) |
| 28 | y | y /i/ [i̝̟] pron. there (at a place), to there |
| 29 | non | non /nɔ̃/ [n̪õ̝̠͗] adv. not, no |
| 30 | avec | avec /avɛk/ [äˑ.ˈvɛ̞k] prep. with |
| 31 | tout | tout /tu/ [t̪u̝̠͗] adv. pro. all |
| 32 | plus | plus /ply(s)/ [ˈplys̪] adv. more, most |
| 33 | mon | mon /mɔ̃/ [mõ̝̠͗] pro. det. my |
| 34 | te | te /tə/ [t̪ə] pro. you, thee, yourself |
| 35 | moi | moi /mwa/ [mwa] pro. me, I |
| 36 | oui | oui /wi/ [wi̝̟] part. yes, yeah |
| 37 | faire | faire /fɛr/ [ˈfɛ̞ːʁ] v. to do, to make |
| 38 | ils | ils /il/ [ˈi̝̟ˑlᵊ] pro. they (masculine) |
| 39 | sur | sur /syr/ [ˈs̪yːʁ] prep. on, upon |
| 40 | quoi | quoi /kwa/ [kw̥a] pro. what, which |
| 41 | se | se /sə/ [s̪ə] pro. to themselves, to himself, to herself, to oneself |
| 42 | comme | comme /kɔm/ [kɔ̝̟͗ˑm] conj. as, like; how |
| 43 | être | être /ɛtr/ [ɛ̞t̪ʁ] v. to be |
| 44 | ici | ici /isi/ [i̝̟.ˈs̪i̝̟] adv. here |
| 45 | lui | lui /lɥi/ [lɥi̝̟] pro. he; him, her |
| 46 | votre | votre /vɔtr/ [vɔ̝̟͗t̪ʁ] pro. det. your |
| 47 | pourquoi | pourquoi /purkwa/ [pu̝̠͗ˑʁ.ˈkw̥a] adv. why |
| 48 | où | où /u/ [u̝̠͗] adv. where |
| 49 | rien | rien /rjɛ̃/ [ʁjɐ̃] pro. nothing |
| 50 | là | là /la/ [lä] adv. there |
| 51 | quand | quand /kɑ̃/ [kɒ̃] conj. adv. when |
| 52 | dire | dire /dir/ [ˈdᶻi̝̟ːʁ] v. to say, to tell, to speak |
| 53 | son | son /sɔ̃/ [s̪õ̝̠͗] pro. det. its, his, her |
| 54 | ton | ton /tɔ̃/ [t̪õ̝̠͗] pro. det. your |
| 55 | alors | alors /alɔr/ [äˑ.ˈlɔ̝̟͗ːʁ] adv. then, so |
| 56 | comment | comment /kɔmɑ̃/ [kɔ̝̟͗ˑ.ˈmɒ̃] adv. how |
| 57 | par | par /par/ [ˈpäːʁ] prep. by, through |
| 58 | ou | ou /u/ [u̝̠͗] conj. or |
| 59 | chose | la chose /ʃoz/ [ˈʃo̝̠͗ːz̪ᵊ] n. thing |
| 60 | bon | bon /bɔ̃/ [bõ̝̠͗] adj. good, right, well |
| 61 | merci | merci /mɛrsi/ [mɛ̞ˑʁ.ˈs̪i̝̟] int. thanks! |
| 62 | juste | juste /ʒyst/ [ʒys̪t̪] adj. adv. just, fair |
| 63 | très | très /trɛ/ [t̪ʁɛ̞] adv. very, highly, much |
| 64 | jamais | jamais /ʒamɛ/ [ʒäˑ.ˈmɛ̞] adv. never, ever |
| 65 | avoir | avoir /avwar/ [äˑ.ˈvwaːʁ] v. to have |
| 66 | vraiment | vraiment /vrɛmɑ̃/ [vʁɛ̞ˑ.ˈmɒ̃] adv. really, truly, actually |
| 67 | aussi | aussi /osi/ [o̝̠͗ˑ.ˈs̪i̝̟] adv. conj. also, too |
| 68 | voir | voir /vwar/ [ˈvwaːʁ] v. to see, to view |
| 69 | oh | oh /o/ [o̝̠͗] int. oh |
| 70 | même | même /mɛm/ [mɛ̞ˑm] adj. same adv. even |
| 71 | maintenant | maintenant /mɛ̃tnɑ̃/ [mɐ̃ˑt̪.ˈn̪ɒ̃] adv. now |
| 72 | deux | deux /dø/ [d̪ø] num. two |
| 73 | autre | autre /otr/ [ˈo̝̠͗ːt̪ʁ] adj. other, another |
| 74 | peu | le peu /pø/ [pø] adv. little n. bit adj. few |
| 75 | quelque | quelque /kɛlk(ə)/ [kʲɛ̞ˑl.ˈk(ə|œ͑)] adj. some |
| 76 | temps | le temps /tɑ̃/ [t̪ɒ̃] n. time; weather |
| 77 | toujours | toujours /tuʒur/ [t̪u̝̠͗ˑ.ˈʒu̝̠͗ːʁ] adv. always, still, ever |
| 78 | encore | encore /ɑ̃kɔr/ [ɒ̃ˑ.ˈkɔ̝̟͗ːʁ] adv. still, again |
| 79 | notre | notre /nɔtr/ [n̪ɔ̝̟͗t̪ʁ] pro. det. our |
| 80 | besoin | le besoin /bəzwɛ̃/ [b(ə|ø͑)ˑ.ˈz̪wɐ̃] n. need, want |
| 81 | faut | falloir /falwar/ [fäˑ.ˈlwaːʁ] v. to need, to have to (used with 'il' to indicate necessity) |
| 82 | vie | la vie /vi/ [vi̝̟] n. life |
| 83 | aller | aller /ale/ [äˑ.ˈle̝] v. to go |
| 84 | fois | la fois /fwa/ [fw̥a] n. time (instance or occurrence of something) |
| 85 | sans | sans /sɑ̃/ [s̪ɒ̃] prep. without |
| 86 | donc | donc /dɔ̃k/ [ˈd̪õ̝̠͗ːk] conj. therefore, thus |
| 87 | monde | le monde /mɔ̃d/ [ˈmõ̝̠͗ːd̪ᵊ] n. world; people |
| 88 | avant | avant /avɑ̃/ [äˑ.ˈvɒ̃] adv. prep. before |
| 89 | sûr | sûr /syr/ [ˈs̪yːʁ] adj. sure, safe, secure |
| 90 | trop | trop /tro/ [t̪ʁo̝̠͗] adv. too much |
| 91 | parler | parler /parle/ [päˑʁ.ˈle̝] v. to speak, to talk |
| 92 | père | le père /pɛr/ [ˈpɛ̞ːʁ] n. father, dad |
| 93 | personne | la personne /pɛrsɔn/ [pɛ̞ˑʁ.ˈs̪ɔ̝̟͗ˑn̪ᵊ] n. person pro. nobody, none |
| 94 | après | après /aprɛ/ [ä.ˈpʁɛ̞] prep. adv. after |
| 95 | ouais | ouais /wɛ/ [wɛ̞] part. yeah, yep |
| 96 | dieu | le dieu /djø/ [ˈdᶻjø] n. God |
| 97 | homme | l'homme (m) /ɔm/ [ɔ̝̟͗ˑm] n. man |
| 98 | femme | la femme /fam/ [fäˑm] n. woman |
| 99 | ok | ok /ɔke/ [ɔ̝̟͗.ˈkʲe̝] int. okay |
| 100 | leur | leur /lœr/ [ˈlœːʁ] pro. det. their; them |
How to study this list
- Use the IPA. French spelling hides a lot of silent letters. The IPA line on each card shows what is actually said, for example /ʒə/ for je.
- Expect several meanings per word. De can mean of, from or some, depending on the sentence. Learn the most common meaning first and pick up the others from sentences later.
- Add sentences once the words are familiar. The French Sentences deck has 3,000 sentences ordered from easiest to hardest, which is a good next step once these words stop being new.
Where these words come from
The French Frequency 500 deck ranks words by how often they appear in French text and runs to 500 words. Essential French is the other starting point: 599 common words with gender and IPA.
Published 2026-10-07.